//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: Myth Chaser and the Secret of Starswirl // by Myth Chaser //------------------------------// Myth Chaser had grabbed his bag, stuffed the artifact inside, and was making his way down the stairs. He'd just been starting to reach for the doorknob when Jewel stopped him. “Where are you going?” she asked. “I'm going to give them the artifact.” “Don't you think we should take this to the police?” Myth shook his head at that and lifted the note they had received, pointing out the message. “See this? It says come alone. And if they're watching us close enough to know where we would be, they've got to be keeping an eye on us. If we go to the police, they'll know, and then what will happen to Snaps?” “Think about that. They want this artifact so badly they were willing to kidnap Snapshot, and had tried to kill you when you got it back from them in the forest. These guys are willing to do anything just to get their hooves on the artifact.” “Yeah, and they're going to kill Snapshot for real if we don't hand it over.” Myth reached for the door again. Jewel stepped in front of him, blocking his way to the door and keeping it shut behind her. “My point is, if they're willing to kidnap and murder, they're obviously not good guys. They have some kind of evil intentions, and this artifact is a big part of it. They might give Snapshot back, sure, but who knows what they're going to do next?” Myth paused for a moment, thinking about that. She was right. Anyone willing to kidnap and try to kill just to get a lock must have some malevolent intent. They must know something about Starswirl's secret that nopony else seems to know. Something bigger was going on here than just their curiosity about a location... “I don't care,” Myth answered after a moment of silence, pushing Jewel aside and forcing the door open, stepping out into the hall, beginning to make his way toward the stairs. “We can worry about what they're up to after that. Head to the police. Hell, we can even take this to the Princesses themselves, if we think they're up to something big. All that matters to me right now is getting Snaps back unharmed.” Jewel sighed, watching the stallion walk through the door to the stairwell. Myth let the door shut behind him, and began making his way down the steps, his mind clouded with worried thoughts of what the zebra and her crew would do to his sister if they didn't get their way. A short moment later he'd hear hooftseps jogging after him and Jewel was soon at his side, her own saddlebag strapped over her back and hanging at her sides. “Guess we'd better hurry.” “'We'?” Myth asked, stopping in place on the stairs. “Jewel, this whole thing is mine and Snapshot's problem. Not yours. Can you stay back at your apartment? I don't want you getting hurt.” “And I don't want you getting hurt,” she replied, turning back to face him, a few steps below where he was. “You already risked your life just getting the artifact back from them in the forest. Who knows what you might do to get your sister?” “I'm not going to do anything stupid. I'm just going to do what they say and give them the artifact, get Snaps, and get out of there.” “You can say what you want,” Jewel said, “But I'm still coming with you.” She grabbed the note out of his hooves in her magic and continued her way down the stairs, leaving Myth where he was. Myth gave a little sigh. He really didn't want this unicorn to get hurt because of something they started. There was no way he could talk her out of coming along, though. That much was certain. Myth and Jewel made their way through the streets of Manehattan rather quickly, the mare leading the way seeing as Myth didn't know his way around this city. They didn't want to keep these villains waiting. Who knows how long they'd wait before hurting Snapshot, or something worse? They were going so fast, Myth accidentally cut across right in front of someone on the sidewalk, stopping them in their tracks, and he heard a voice shouting to him from behind. “I'm walkin' here!” Myth shouted back an apology, then looked to Jewel and couldn't help but laugh. “Never thought ponies in Manehattan actually said that. I thought it was just in stories for comedic relief or something.” Jewel laughed in return. “First time I've heard it for real.” They continued onward. Another few blocks and they approached a large building. It looked to be a warehouse. Out in front was some sign saying the property was for sale. It looked run down and beaten up, as if it had been abandoned for some time. “This the right place?” Myth asked, looking to Jewel. She pulled out the note they had been sent and unfolded it, reading the address and confirming it. “Yeah, this is it. Why an abandoned warehouse?” “Makes sense to me,” Myth said with a shrug. “It's not like they'd welcome us into their home or anything. An abandoned building like this seems like a good place for secret meetings like we're in for.” He had a point there, Jewel thought. “Shall we?” she asked, making her way to the front door. Myth followed after her. Where else would they have gone? It's not like the note said to head around back or anything. The front door was the obvious choice. The metallic door was blue and had a note providing information for whoever would be interested in buying the property. At about eye level on the door was a sort of horizontal slit, like what Myth had seen in pictures about secret clubs or organizations. He briefly wondered why a warehouse building would have this. Maybe they stored expensive things inside and wanted to check who was at the door before letting them in? It sounded weird to him, but it was all he could think of. The door gave a metallic clang when he knocked. Almost immediately, as if someone inside had been waiting, the hatch opened up to reveal a pair of purple colored eyes. Around them, Myth and Jewel could see a bit of dark blue. Myth immediately guessed it was the unicorn stallion that was usually with the zebra. The two ponies outside wait a moment, seeing the pony inside was checking them out. Myth rolled his eyes. “We didn't bring any weapons if that's what you're looking for,” he told him. “I just came to get my sister back. You can have the artifact.” The eyes gave him an annoyed looked through the hatch before it closed. The door gave a click as it was unlocked, and then pulled inward, opening. Inside was the unicorn stallion. He was dark blue, his mane and tail even darker, almost black. And the purple eyes looked them over again. “Follow me. And don't try anything stupid,” he told them, gesturing to the spear held in his magic with the pointed tip aimed at them. Myth and Jewel stepped inside, the door closing with a clang behind them as they followed behind the stallion. The looked around curiously, having never been inside a warehouse before. It was basically exactly what they'd heard about. Concrete floor and walls. Lights hanging from the ceiling to light the way. The shelves were mostly emptied, though still held many wooden crates. It seemed that the previous owner of the property was still in the process of emptying the building. Late at night as it was now, though, the owner and workers were nowhere in sight. They'd be back in the morning to continue, Myth assumed. The two ponies followed the unicorn past many wide aisles of shelving, before he rounded a corner. It seemed they had chosen a random aisle until Myth and Jewel saw what they were here for. Snapshot was sitting on the floor. Her hind hooves tied together in front of her, ropes around her sides to keep her wings held down, and her forehooves tied behind her back, tying her to a shelf. Her ears perked up when she heard hoofsteps and she looked up, seeing her brother and Jewel were here to get her. Her mouth was still covered with the tied, white cloth. She seemed to struggle a bit, wanting to get out of her bindings. Standing beside her was the gryphon. A dark gray body and a face and chest of white feathers. Upon seeing the pegasus struggle, he reached a clawed hand down and aimed the sharp talon at her throat and looked to her with similar purple eyes to what the unicorn had. This action made her sit still. Sitting in a chair on the other side next to Snapshot was the zebra. She appeared to be flipping through the pages of a book with interest until the pegasus mare's struggle alerted her to the unicorn approaching with the two ponies behind. She closed the blue-covered book, with a golden runic symbol on the front, and slid it down into her saddlebag. Jewel got a look at it, and noted that it was Starswirl's journal from the museum. The zebra got up from her seat. The unicorn stood to the side and Myth spoke up. “Let her go,” he said, glancing to his sister. “Artifact first,” she said with a smile. Myth reached to his side, flipping up the flap of his bag and reached a hoof inside. The unicorn readied himself with the spear and the gryphon seemed to tense up a bit, his sharp talon pressing against Snapshot's throat. Myth rolled his eyes at their sudden tensing, and looked to the zebra. “They're pretty jumpy, aren't they?” he asked. The zebra just gave a small chuckle at that and waved a hoof for them to calm down, telling them, “He's not going to do anything stupid with his sister in danger.” She looked back over to Myth as he pulled the artifact out from his bag, holding it up to let them see the disc-shaped lock, the red needle still pointed directly up at the same symbol it's always been. The zebra's purple eyes gazed over it and she smiled. Why were all their eyes purple? “Good. Now hand it over,” the zebra commanded. “Let her go first,” Myth replied. “I don't think you're in any position to be giving orders,” she told him, gesturing to his sister. “Artifact first, then you get your sister.” She had him there. He couldn't try to force them to do anything. Not when they had something more important to him. Myth glanced over to Jewel, wondering if he should give in or try to get Snapshot freed first. Jewel just gave a little nod, letting him know to do as they asked. Myth sighed and set the lock on the floor, giving it a little kick to slide it over toward the zebra. He didn't want to get closer to her than he had to. Just to be safe. The zebra mare picked it up and examined it for a moment, then smiled and nodded to the gryphon. He moved his talons to the ropes and cut the pegasus free. Snapshot got up, yanking the cloth off of her mouth, and nervously passed between the zebra and the unicorn to get to her brother. She threw her hooves around him in a tight hug. “Thanks for coming,” she told him. “Of course,” he'd reply, hugging his sister, glad she was safe. “They didn't hurt you, did they?” Jewel asked She shook her head as she pulled back from the embrace, wiping a tear from her eye. “They said they'd kill me if you didn't bring the artifact...” “Well,” the zebra mare said, breaking up their little reunion. She was examining Starswirl's lock as she spoke. “As promised. Snapshot for the artifact. Thank you, Myth Chaser, for-” “How do you know our names?” he asked suddenly. “Hmm?” she'd ask, looking up toward him. “Before, in the forest. You called me by my name. Even though neither Snapshot or I had mentioned it, you knew me. And just now, you referred to us both by name,” he explained. It was time he found out why. “How do you know who we are?” The zebra mare smiled. It was the same smile Myth had always imagined on villains he read in books. The same smile that Myth remembered the main character in his favorite book series, Quilldragon, had written about hating so much. They had explained that it showed the bad guy knew a lot more than you did. He got the same feeling now that he saw it for real. “How observant of you,” she'd said. The mare then slipped the artifact into her own bag, in place with Starswirl's journal. She then pulled out a piece of paper. One edge was torn. She looked over and turned it so the writing would be facing toward Myth, Snapshot, and Jewel. “If you must know... We learned about you two while reading your father's journal.” Their father's journal? But Myth was in possession of his dad's journal at the moment. He had been ever since it was brought to him back at home. Then he realized it. The torn edge on the page the zebra held showed that it had been torn out. He and Snapshot had noticed that a page appeared to be ripped out of the journal. They hadn't paid any attention to it, but this explained why it was missing. “You met our parents?” Myth asked. “Certainly. They're both so smart. Your father in particular.” “What happened?” Snapshot asked, confused and curious. “How did you know our parents?” “The short version? Your parents found some information we needed at the Canterlot library. We took it from them by force. We needed that information for ourselves, and they happened to have it with them. They apparently found out what we were up to and contacted the police. We were raided... Only the three of us managed to make it out without getting caught,” she explained, looking over to the gryphon and unicorn. “Unfortunately, the information was left behind and taken into police custody.” “Yet you still knew about needing Starswirl's journal,” Jewel pointed out curiously. The zebra nodded. “We lost the information from the library, sure. But there was writing about it just as good.” She looked to Myth and Snapshot. “Your father's journal. I tracked them down. I managed to steal the journal and tore out the page we needed. Put the rest back so he wouldn't know it had been taken until it was too late. I overheard them talking, though... I didn't like what I heard.” “What?” Myth asked. “They'd followed us to our hideout. Your mother and father had overheard our group having a talk. They found out who we were and what we were up to.” The zebra gave a sigh, and lifted her saddlebag up over her back to hang down and at her sides. “We did what had to be done. It's a shame. We don't like to kill, but... They knew too much. They'd just get in the way.” Jewel looked over to Myth and Snapshot. “I thought you said they died in a train wreck.” “They did,” Snapshot replied, just as confused. Myth nodded. “The train's brake system was flawed and the train took a turn too quickly. It derailed and flew over the cliffside...” The zebra just smiled that same evil smile. “Seems I did a good job making the cut brake line look like an accident.” Snapshot was feeling the anger rise within her. She'd been thinking her parents had died in a tragic accident, and now she found out that they were purposely killed... “You killed our parents,” Snapshot said, taking a step forward. “You killed all the innocent ponies on that train just to get our parents?” “Small price to pay,” the zebra said simply. Snapshot, filled with anger at how casually the zebra talked about the mass murder, gave a strong flap of her wings, thrusting herself forward at the zebra. She'd managed to tackle the mare to the ground, causing her to drop the journal page. The pegasus reeled her hoof back, and brought it down, delivering a hard punch to the zebra's jaw. She pulled back again, only to be stopped before she could give a second blow. Her hoof couldn't move. She couldn't move at all. Then she was lifted up, and a look back showed that the unicorn stallion had grabbed her in his magic, lifting her up. He looked mad, and violently threw the pegasus backward. Snapshot's back roughly hit the storage shelving, and she let out a gasp. The force of the impact caused an unsteady crate to fall from where it was stacked above her, falling over the side of the shelf. Before anypony could react, the heavy wooden crate came down to the ground with a loud slam. Snapshot yelped in pain, letting out a scream. “My wing!” Myth and Jewel raced over to her side. The zebra got up, rubbing at her punched jaw, with the angriest look they'd ever seen on her. “If you're smart, you won't do that again,” she threatened. “And you'll stop trying to interfere with our plans, or else it'll be you in the dirt next.” The zebra turned back and began making her retreat. The unicorn and gryphon kept their eyes on the three ponies as they backed away, following after their leader. Snapshot was whimpering a bit at the pain shooting through her wing. Myth and Jewel pushed at the crate together, using all the strength they could. It took a moment, but they soon managed to push it off of Snapshot's wing. Myth cringed. Jewel covered her eyes, feeling her heart break. Snapshot looked over, and the moment she saw her wing, the pain seemed to intensify. Her feathers were ruffled, out of place, and the spine of the wing was bent horribly in two places, in the wrong direction. Snapshot lay in the hospital bed, resting her head down on the pillow as she lay back, trying not to whimper at the dull ache in her wing. It was wrapped in bandages, and held tight in a cast against her side. Myth and Jewel had carried her together, rushing her to the nearby hospital as quickly as they could. Snapshot had had tears streaming from her eyes from the most intense pain she'd ever felt in her life. She'd had sprains and bruises before, but they weren't as bad as this. The doctor was in the room with Snapshot and Myth, pointing to the x-rays of her wing and explaining to them that the bone in the spine of her wing had been snapped in two places, right in the spots where her wing was bent. “Unfortunately it's so bad, there's not so much we can do,” he added sadly. “We can't completely mend the bone back together. I've applied a spell to relieve the pain for now, but it'll return eventually. Aside from that, and keeping your wing in place with the cast, there isn't anything else we can do.” “How long will I need to have the cast?” Snapshot asked. “Normally, it would be about three months. But in my experience, pegasus wings seem to heal quicker than other limbs. So my guess would be about two months. Two and a half tops,” the doctor answered. He paused for a moment, waiting for another question if they had one. They didn't seem to have anything else to say. “That's about it. I suggest you try to get some rest,” he said to Snapshot. “The nurse will be checking in on you every now and then to see how you're doing. If all seems good, you'll be out of here in the morning.” Snapshot smiled at that. “Thanks, doctor.” He just gave a smile and walked out the door, leaving the siblings alone for now. Jewel stepped in before the door could fully close, setting her bag down beside the door. She carried three cups of water in the light blue glow of her magic, and smiled over to Snapshot. “Feeling better?” she asked, levitating one cup over to her, the other toward Myth, who sat in the chair over in the corner. Snapshot nodded with a smile. “Much. He gave me a pain relief spell. Said the pain would come back eventually. Hopefully it won't hurt as bad when it does.” She took the water and drank down a sip. “I meant your hoof,” Jewel said with a grin. “That zebra's face made it look like your punch really hit hard.” Snapshot couldn't help but laugh at that and rub at her hoof. “That did hurt a little, actually. I really need to toughen up.” Jewel giggled a bit. “Well, I'm glad you're okay in any case.” She then looked over toward Myth. Myth had been silent for most of the time they'd been at the hospital. He sat quietly in his seat in the corner of the room, looking thoughtful as he stared down into the water. “What are you thinking?” Jewel asked, stepping toward him and taking a seat in the second chair beside him. Myth looked up, having hardly noticed Jewel had returned, even though he held the water she gave him. “Just trying to wrap my head around it all,” he said. “The whole thing about our parents being killed... Not by accident, but... targeted.” “Yeah, I can hardly believe it myself,” Snapshot added. “Seems so unreal...” Myth nodded, and took a sip of his water. “It's only made me more curious, though. She said they had to kill our parents because they learned too much. I'm just wondering... What exactly did they learn about that got them targeted like that?” “Right,” Snapshot agreed. “They're up to something big. They have to be.” The three stayed silent for a moment, trying to think. The zebra had mentioned that killing every pony on the train had been a small price to pay to kill their parents, in order to keep a secret that had been found out. What was so big that an entire train-worth of innocent ponies seemed like a small cost? “What took you so long anyways?” Snapshot asked, breaking the silence. She was looking to Jewel. “You were gone for quite a while just to get a few cups of water.” “Oh! Yeah.” Jewel's magic lifted her bag over to her and she opened the large flap, pulling something out. “I went to get this,” she said, holding up a piece of paper with one edge torn. “You went looking for them just to get the page back?” Myth asked, quickly worried that Jewel would endanger herself like that just to get their dad's journal page. She shook her head with a little laugh. “Of course not. The zebra dropped it when Snapshot tackled her. I guess they forgot about it when they left. I went back to the warehouse to get it.” “Well, what's it say?” Snapshot asked. Jewel just shrugged. “I didn't want to read it. It's your parents, not mine.” She handed the page over to Myth. “I just figured you guys would want it.”